As is known in the art, computer systems which process and store large amounts of data typically include a one or more processors in communication with a shared data storage system in which the data is stored. The data storage system may include one or more storage devices, usually of a fairly robust nature and useful for storage spanning various temporal requirements, e.g. disk drives. The one or more processors perform their respective operations using the storage system. To minimize the chance of data loss, the computer systems also can include a backup storage system in communication with the primary processor and the data storage system. Often the connection between the one or more processors and the backup storage system is through a network in which case the processor is sometimes referred to as a “backup client.”
The backup storage system can include a backup storage device (such as tape storage or any other storage mechanism), together with a system for placing data into the storage device and recovering the data from that storage device. To perform a backup, the client copies data from the shared storage system across the network to the backup storage system. Thus, an actual data file may be communicated over the network to the backup storage device.
The shared storage system corresponds to the actual physical storage. For the client to write the backup data over the network to the backup storage system, the client first converts the backup data into file data i.e., the client retrieves the data from the physical storage system level, and converts the data into application level format (e.g. a file) through a logical volume manager level, a file system level and the application level. When the backup storage device receives the data file, the backup storage system can take the application level data file, and convert it to its appropriate file system level format for the backup storage system. The data can then be converted through the logical volume manager level and into physical storage.
The EMC Data Manager (EDM) is capable of such backup and restore over a network, as described in numerous publications available from EMC of Hopkinton, Mass., including the EDM User Guide (Network) “Basic EDM Product Manual” . For performance improvements, a backup storage architecture in which a direct connection is established between the shared storage system and the backup storage system was conceived. Such a system is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,047,294, assigned to assignee of the present invention, and entitled Logical Restore from a Physical Backup in Computer Storage System and herein incorporated by reference.
Today much of the data processing and storage environment is dedicated to the needs of supporting and storing large databases, which only get larger. Although data storage systems, such as the EMC Symmetrix Integrated Cache Disk Array, and some of its supporting software such as TimeFinder have made general advancements in the data storage art through the advanced use of disk mirroring much of the capability of such technology is beyond the grasp of most entities. This is because of an ever-increasing shortage of skilled computer professionals. Typically, an entity such as a company might employ or contract a data storage administrator to take care of data storage needs, a database programmer to take of database needs and general network administrators and other information technology professionals to take care of general computing needs.
If one of these skilled professionals leaves or is difficult to hire then the task of storing a database and taking care of its backup and restore needs may be neglected or never happen in the first place. What is needed is a computer-based tool, such as a system or program that could automate many of these tasks and reduce the complexity so that such a wide array or depth of skill sets are not needed. Further it would be an advantage if such a tool provided solutions for disaster recovery of data.
Prior art systems have allowed for restoration of source or standard data from replicated copies, but there has been no straight-forward simple way to get logical information related to the source so that another computer could take over the role of a failed computer (i.e., serve as a surrogate for the failed computer). There is a long-felt need for a technique to enable extraction of such logical information in a straight-forward non-complex and fast manner so that a surrogate computer could work with replicated copies in substantially the same manner as the original source computer that had operated with standard data. This would be advancement in the art with particular relevance in the field of disaster recovery.